The 0.1% Edge
Why Full Effort Matters
“Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night.”
— Michael Jordan
The 0.1% Edge
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life
Is there really a big difference between 99.9% and 100%?
At first glance, it may seem negligible — just a sliver of effort. But when it comes to performance, leadership, and life, that fraction often separates winning from losing, excellence from average, and trust from uncertainty.
In his best-selling book, Minneapolis entrepreneur Harvey Mackay reminds us that even the smallest percentage short of full effort can have serious consequences.
An Olympic sprinter who gives 99.9% might finish just a step behind the podium. A surgeon who gives 99.9% effort may risk a life-altering mistake in the operating room. A pilot, an engineer, a coach, a teacher — all depend on precision, focus, and total commitment.
Leadership is no different. Our teams, our students, and our athletes deserve our full attention, effort, and energy — even when the task feels routine. Especially then.
Armand Bucci once pointed out what 99.9% effort would mean in real life:
One hour of unsafe drinking water every month
Eighteen unsafe plane landings every week at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport
18,000 pieces of lost mail every hour of the day
66,000 social security checks in the wrong amount monthly
287,000 withdrawals from the wrong PayPal account each week
128 incorrect surgical operations per week
10 babies given to the wrong U.S. parents every day
4,380,000 incorrect drug prescriptions each year
537,000 credit cards with incorrect information*
Shocking, right?
We don't always get to choose the outcome. But we always get to choose our effort. Where in your life are you showing up at 99.9% — and what would it take to close that gap?
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
— John Wooden
Connecting this quote to the story. Success is not just about external achievements but rather about the inner satisfaction that comes from knowing you have done everything possible to become the best version of yourself.
Chasing Influence tip: The smallest details often reveal the biggest commitment.
If you enjoyed this story, a series of three Chasing Influence workbooks is available. Stories are accompanied by discussion questions and answers. Each workbook contains 33 lessons to use with any team.
Updates on Chasing Influence
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life is available in Kindle, softcover, hardcover, and audiobook editions.
For additional resources, links to podcast appearances, and other Chasing Influence news, click here.
©Troy Urdahl, 2025
* Adapted from Mackay, Harvey. Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty: The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need, 199, pp. 144-145. Numbers updated to more accurately reflect 2023 data.